Who Jaques is
Jaques belongs to Duke Senior's company of exiles in the Forest of Arden. He is a gloomy thinker who enjoys sadness and mocks the world around him.
His humour gives the forest a different voice from its songs and courtship. While others turn toward love, Jaques watches their behaviour with a cooler eye.
Jaques and the others in the story
Jaques lives among the loyal lords who accompany Duke Senior after his brother drives him from power. The Duke finds lessons in hardship, while Jaques offers a bleaker view of human life.
He also pities the deer that the lords hunt for food in Arden. His mockery reaches everyone, including himself, so he does not stand wholly outside the folly he observes.
How Jaques changes
In his speech on the seven ages, Jaques compares the world to a stage. He presents people as performers whose parts change as they pass through life.
The play gives his gloomy account room to be heard without making it the only view. Soon afterward, Duke Senior's kindness toward an old man offers a gentle contrast to Jaques's words.
A best-known line
“All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players”
Questions
Who is Jaques in As You Like It?
Jaques is a melancholy lord among Duke Senior's companions in Arden.
What is Jaques's seven ages speech about?
It describes human life as a play, with people taking different roles across seven ages.
Does Jaques mock himself as well as others?
Yes, his humour turns on himself as well as the people around him.